To build EMS capacity in Lithuania, Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI) in co-operation with Norwegian company "Det Norske Veritas" (DNV) and Lithuanian Ministry of Environment, carried out a training programme "Capacity Building in Environmental Auditing in Lithuania" financed by Norwegian government. The training programme covered the following areas: Environmental Management Systems, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and ISO 14001 standard. In this programme, 36 Lithuanian experts have been trained: managers of industrial enterprises, representatives of universities and consultants. Nineteen experts have been trained in the training programme for professional auditors (the programme has been organised in accordance to requirements of UK organisation EARA), received international auditor certificates.

Follow-up of this activity was implementation of EMS projects in several industrial sectors (e.g. textile, electronic and metal) with support from Danish Government and in co-operation between Danish and Lithuanian partners. The main objective of these project is to support development and implementation of EMS, based on preventive environmental management tools in Lithuanian enterprises, to train environmental managers and to develop examples of practical EMS implementation.

The model used in the sector-based EMS implementation projects consists of a series of training seminars and practical work in the companies. Usually, 5 training seminars covering different parts of EMS are organised for companies from particular industrial sector. Between the seminars, a number of assignments have to be made by the participating companies. This way, participants of the training programme receive hands on training and implement EMS step by step. Companies are also provided with technical assistance between the seminars.

One of important factors for success of these sector-based projects is that in the training sessions and practical assignments, application of preventive environmental management tools is stressed and companies have opportunity to exchange ideas and experience in this area.

The model proved to be very successful in promoting preventive environmental management and supporting companies in implementation of effective EMS.

For more information please contact Prof. Jurgis Staniskis, Institute of Environmental Engineering (APINI), Kaunas University of Technology, tel: +370 7 300760, fax: +370 7 209372, E-mail: Jurgis.Staniskis@apini.ltu.lt